to free the mind
by Tomoe Mami
Summary: Follow Sirius' journey as he befriends two children, in similar situations to himself as he longs to enter U.A. (w/ fem! Shinso)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Warning for child abuse, bullying, Quirk discrimination and canon-typical violence.

* * *

_Long ago, a glowing baby was born in China. Soon after, strange powers started to appear everywhere. These new powers were called Quirks and they represented a new age of human evolution. With the emergence of these Quirks, there came people who abused them leading to the appearance of villains; a new career that had only been found in comic books came forward_:

_Heroes_.

_Meet Sirius Blakefield, a seven-year-old hero-in-the-making. He is the grandson of Lupin Blakefield, son of Romulus and Meiko Blakefield, and the youngest of five brothers. This is the story of how he became friends with two of the greatest students to ever live!_

* * *

Sirius groaned in pain as he was hit in the stomach multiple times, arms restrained by the assailant's lackeys so he was unable to defend himself.

If you were wondering how he got into this mess, he'd say it started about ten minutes ago, when he'd seen three boys at Nabu Elementary. Sirius immediately recognized two of them from the year above his: fraternal twins known as the "Duo", an alias that sent shivers through the entire elementary school. They and their leader were deeply prejudiced, especially against students who didn't look like normal humans, Sirius' dog features being no exception.

Them bullying towards him was bad enough, but he especially hated seeing them make others suffer. So, when he noticed them teasing a purple-haired girl around his age, Sirius snapped. Running straight towards them, he tackled their leader and landed a hit on his face, yelling: "Pick on someone your own age, cowards!" He only knew the girl's age due to the teacher's introductions.

He supposed he could have handled it better; he could have jumped them behind the school or something, but he wanted to teach them a lesson. Now pinned to the ground by the Duo, it seemed he'd been overly ambitious. Sirius gritted his teeth and spat at the floor. Trying to escape while he still had the mettle, he surged up in a burst of superior strength and pushed past his enemies, forgetting about the purple-haired girl he was meant to defend.

Sirius was only able to sprint for a minute before his stamina ran out and he fell to his knees, panting. His enhanced hearing picked up the bullies' rapid approach, but he couldn't find the power to move before he was picked up by the collar. His weak attempt to hit the leader's arm failed; Sirius hadn't really received any training in advanced hand-to-hand so it was easily shrugged off.

The leader threw him to the ground and a pain-filled whimper escaped Sirius' lips. When he tried to escape, he was kicked in the jaw for his efforts. His lip was busted, but he ignored the pain as best he could. That was all he could do to resist.

"You two!" the leader commanded the Duo. "Pick him up and hold his arms."

The pair did as they were told, moving aside so their boss stood in front of Sirius. Looking directly at the other boy, Sirius spat in his face. The leader's expression twisted into a snarl.

"You're weak," he sneered, punching him in the gut twice. Groaning in pain, Sirius didn't have the energy to do anything, even as the onslaught continued. As his sight started fading out, he barely heard a young female voice speak. Then, there was nothing but the darkness.

* * *

Sirius later awoke in what appeared to be the nurse's office and promptly threw up in the bedside bucket. His throat burned from the bile and his head pounded from what he hoped was just a headache.

"Oh, you're awake."

Sirius turned to see an unfamiliar girl at the foot of his bed. Blinking multiple times, Sirius ran his gaze over the latter's body. There wasn't a scratch on her, so why was she here?

The girl continued. "You helped me before, so I wanted to thank you. No one's ever really done anything nice for me."

Sirius stared hard at the stranger before everything clicked, when Sirius saw the hair. "You're the purple-haired girl."

"Shinso Hitomi, yes." Hitomi introduced herself. "You are…?"

"Oh, Sirius Blakefield." Sirius grimaced at having forgot his manners. He had just awoken from being knocked out so etiquette may not have been his first priority. Curious, he asked: "Um, how did you get them off me?"

Hitomi's smile seemed forced. "My Quirk is called Brainwashing. Personally, I think it's more sleepwalking, but I can't go against the official report."

In awe at Hitomi's ability, Sirius nodded. "Thank you for your help."

Hitomi shrugged. "By the time I got to you, you were already out. I just brought you to the nurse's office," she explained. She continued until the nurse arrived.

As the nurse dealt with his injuries, Sirius continued to ponder about Hitomi's Quirk, already brainstorming possible ways to combat it.


	2. Chapter 2

The nurse stood there for a moment until the pair noticed she was standing there. They both apologized, but she smiled and waved them off. "Think nothing of it, you two. I like to promote friendship here in the school; a break from each of these incidents is always welcome." She paused and glanced directly at Sirius. "That being said, I will warn you, young man, from picking a fight with second years again if you want to keep both kidneys with you when you leave school."

"Yes, ma'am." Sirius bowed his head in apology.

The nurse shook her head, still smiling. "Don't worry. I applaud you for thinking to save Hitomi, but you have to look out for yourself as well."

Sirius looked up, his eyes brightening at the praise. "Thank you, ma'am. I get bullied myself, so I know what it's like to be the victim. I didn't want that to happen to another student ever again, so I did what I felt was right."

The nurse studied him, a torn expression appearing on her face, before it shifted to a warm, but guarded one. "Be that as it may, you were accused of being the aggressor in the most recent incident. Please don't let it get to your head, hate and violence only causes more hate and violence. Anyway, I've healed you as best I can, but you might still have a bad headache. You're free to go."

Sirius got up out of the bed slowly and was happy he was on his stable feet. Hitomi offered to help him walk out by placing a hand on his shoulder as they left, but Sirius was too much in pain to refuse.

As the two young students walked out of the nurse's office, they went to the room where their school bags were kept. They put them on their backs and walked out of the building, seeing as how Sirius had been out for a few hours.

They started talking again and eventually the discussion turned to their families and what their Quirks were.

"My mum is able to read minds." Hitomi answered, a happy little smile on her face. She had a friend and it was her first one. Why wouldn't she be pleased? "I… don't know my father's quirk. He left when I was a baby."

Sirius wanted to cry at this information. What kind of father would abandon their child and not want to share memories as the child grew up? He vaguely heard Hitomi ask him what his family's Quirks were, but he didn't answer immediately, more focused on making her happy as the girl grew up.

"Sirius?" Hitomi asked, turning to look at her classmate and newfound friend.

Sirius jumped back to awareness. "Oh! Sorry, was just thinking about something. My dad's Quirk is Tracker. He deals with really seedy villains and helps the police. Mum's is Bouquet; she makes flowers once a day for her flower shop. Then there are my older brothers Aki, Haruki, Takumi and Youta. Aki's is Calculator Palm; he works in a clothing shop as the manager. Haruki's Quirk is Sensing Life Via Vegetation Interference. Takumi's is Tree Regrowth. He helps forests heal with his Quirk. Nature probably loves him for it. Youta doesn't really talk about his, I don't think he likes it. Says it's destructive and he wishes he never had it."

Hitomi nodded, before realizing something. "You didn't mention yours," she murmured quietly.

"… Mine's Lupercalia. I'm not proud of it." Sirius admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away from his friend. He was not proud of it at all, but he knew he had to make do with what he had inherited from his grandfather. Truthfully, he hated it but-

Hitomi got his attention and repeated the question. "What does it do?" It seemed like the girl wanted to know what Lupercalia was capable of.

Sirius sighed. "It's an old nod to Valentine's Day, apparently, and heats." That was where he drew the line. He didn't really want to reveal anymore information than that; it was embarrassing enough just saying the name of the Quirk.

Hitomi figured there was something more going on with Sirius' answer, but was polite and didn't push any further than she already had. "Okay," was all she said and left it at that.

"Thank you." Sirius whispered, his lips bared in a grimace of embarrassment. Hitomi smiled reassuringly and patted her friend's shoulder.

"It's alright. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Sirius shook his head, smiling. "You weren't to know. Don't blame yourself." He clasped the girl's hand in his own and shook it to re-confirm their friendship. He wanted to get to know Hitomi better and help her in any situation he possibly could, so that bullies wouldn't get the better of him again.

Hitomi laughed quietly and glanced at Sirius, her eyes starting to water. "I'm glad we met."


	3. Chapter 3

A week later, Sirius was playing in the park near his house. His older brothers were watching him closely, so he didn't wander off with any strangers. While he was playing, his attention was caught by a girl a bit older than him with mostly white hair walking with a boy whom he assumed was her younger brother.

Sirius got up excitedly and made his way over to the pair, Aki watching from a distance and holding an arm out to stop the rest of his siblings from calling Sirius back.

"Hi, I'm Sirius." The dog-headed boy introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you." He was hoping that, like with Hitomi, he could befriend this boy. The look the other boy was giving him confused him for a second, until the girl spoke.

"Shoto, you can talk to him, you know?" It wasn't that she was trying to control what he did, more that she sensed fear of that their father would find out that he had been socializing with other adults' children.

The boy jumped, but then acknowledged his sister with a quiet whisper. "Okay, Fuyumi." Turning his gaze to the boy with a dog head, Shoto continued on as if there had been no interruption. "I'm Todoroki Shoto."

Sirius was overjoyed that Shoto was talking to him. So much so, that a tear formed at the corner of an eye. He wiped it away hurriedly, hoping the siblings hadn't seen it. "What do you like and dislike?" Sirius asked Shoto.

At the second half of the question, Shoto glanced back at his sister with an eyebrow raised, Sirius noticed. Fuyumi nodded reluctantly. Sirius tilted his head, wondering if something was going on. "I dislike my father. He is not nice to me."

A look of understanding dawned on Sirius' face. _That explained the shared look_, he realized. _Sensitive issues_. To their relief, he didn't say anything about it, merely nodding at Fuyumi to relay his comprehension of the matter.

"I don't really like anything, except for soba." Shoto added, finishing his answer of Sirius' inquiry.

Sirius jerked his head once in an upwards manner, indicating he understood. "As for me, I like chocolate milk-"

"Milk?" Fuyumi questioned, looking surprised. "Doesn't that affect your indigestion?"

Sirius chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, thankfully. I still have a human's physiology despite my dog features." He was liking these two more and more by the second. They were innocent of the crimes their father committed, but their hands were tied as his would be once they left.

By all accounts, Sirius wasn't dumb; he could tell by certain gestures if people had a troubled life. His brothers had taught him that skill from the moment he could talk. And now more than ever, he was grateful for that skill. Because it had certainly helped him piece the puzzle together quickly.

Fuyumi nodded and glanced at her watch. "I'd like to stay longer, but our mother is expecting us back soon. Sorry, Sirius. I'll see you again soon." In truth, she wasn't sure when she and her brother would see the kind dog boy again, especially if their father found out about the social stop.

But it was better to keep Shoto's hope alive; it was good to have friends outside of the torture their father put them through. It was wrong: they all knew it was, everyone except for their father who cared nothing more than wanting to fulfil his own selfish goal.

If Shoto pushed himself too far and passed out with no hope of regaining consciousness, what would Endeavor do then? Fuyumi put the thought aside as she guided Shoto the rest of the way home before Endeavor came to pick them up himself.

Sirius stood there for a moment, remembering the last thing he saw from Shoto before the siblings left. The young boy with white and red hair had had a tear form in the corner of his eye. It broke Sirius' heart to see another child in that situation, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment.

He turned and walked towards his brothers, standing before Aki, who crouched down to eye level. "What's up, little bro?" The oldest Blakefield child asked, knowing something was up from the younger's expression and silence.

"I want to help him," Sirius replied honestly.

Aki glanced in the direction they had left in, then turned back to Sirius. "Pup, the Todoroki's are a very powerful and wealthy family. Endeavor probably wouldn't appreciate some random child telling him what to-"

"Shoto shouldn't have to live like that!" Sirius protested, raising his voice a little. He was shivering out of despair, Aki realized, deducing it was his desire to help the other boy that had made him speak out like that against the #2 hero.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that afternoon, the Blakefield siblings plus their mother, Meiko, visited the Todoroki residence. Romulus, their father, was busy doing his work to help the police, but he apologized for not being there to watch his youngest attempt to show Endeavor what for.

"_I don't think this is a good idea_." Meiko spoke to Aki, after the oldest informed their mother of what Sirius' plan was. "_He's going to get hurt, likely burned_." She shook her head. "_You boys are playing vigilantes again… Does your father know about this?_"

"_No_," Aki answered, his grin widening to form a smirk. "_I'll tell him later_." He laughed at his mother's half-hearted attempt to beat him playfully upside the head, dodging jumping out of her reach at the last second.

"_Aki! Oh, this isn't funny. Something terrible could happen to Sirius even if Endeavor doesn't take his attempt seriously. His Quirk is extremely destructive, so Sirius could end up with severe burns! Aki!_"

Though she was human, Meiko cared for all her children – human and non-human. So the thought of _any_thing happening to any of them was terrifying for her.

"I'll be okay, mother." Sirius reassured his mother to the best of his ability, not knowing what would happen in his attempt to show Endeavor he shouldn't be treating his family like that.

Meiko gasped at her youngest, turning to look at him, before striding over to give him the biggest hug she could muster. "Are you sure, honey?"

Regardless of what her sons said to her, she was going to have back-up on standby in case a healer was needed. She'd already called Recovery Girl after Aki informed her of the plan and Recovery Girl agreed to stand in as help should Sirius need healing.

Sirius nodded and went to stand by Aki and his other brothers. Aki gave a fox-like smirk and lazily nodded. "He'll be fine, mother." They turned and started walking out of the house.

In the time they took to walk over to the Todoroki residence, there was nothing but silence. Each sibling was nervous, but the older ones tried to stay strong for the sake of their younger brother, since the outcome of the match was as yet undecided.

"Hey pup," Aki began after a few minutes of extenuating silence he couldn't bear.

"Yeah?" Sirius answered, as the siblings came to a standstill a block away from the street in which the Todoroki's lived.

Aki hesitated, not sure how his siblings would take this. "Whatever happens, at least try and remain friends with that Shoto kid, okay? He looked exceptionally lonely for a child his age and that doesn't sit right with me. A child his age shouldn't be that hurt." He shook his head to indicate his sorrow for Shoto. Sirius understood immediately.

"I'll try." Sirius, too, had felt the start of a connection with the other boy, but hadn't realized at the time what it meant. He did want to be friends with Shoto but, if Endeavor prevented him from socializing, there wasn't much Sirius could do until junior high at the latest.

"Give it everything you've got, pup." Aki patted his younger brother on the shoulder, starting to walk again.

Ten minutes later, they finally arrived in front of the house where Shoto lived with his family. The Blakefield siblings glanced between each other, not sure who should press the doorbell first. Eventually, Sirius huffed in dry amusement and took a few steps towards the gate where the bell was located. He pressed it and stepped back into line with his siblings.

Meiko and Recovery Girl watched from further back, waiting to take action for when something happened. Meiko stiffened when Endeavor answered the summons and came to the gate.

"What's going on?" He demanded when he saw the siblings lined up. Glancing up, he saw their mother and Recovery Girl standing a distance away and he raised an eyebrow. Endeavor didn't know what was going on, but he didn't have time to be dealing with pesky children. The number two hero came outside of the gate and stood with his hands on his hips, waiting for an explanation.

He didn't know Shoto and Fuyumi had peeked their heads outside the door to see what was happening themselves. The Todoroki children were surprised to see Sirius suddenly walk forward to Endeavor, fists balled in front of him.

"You don't… have the right to treat your family like that!" The young dog-headed boy yelled as he stood bravely in an attempt to defend Shoto. He continued to shout at the older hero, but Fuyumi placed a hand over her mouth when Endeavor grabbed both of the dog boy's fists in one hand.

"Now begone, mutt!"

The fur burned.

Sirius screamed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Inside now!" Endeavor turned and went back into his own yard, seeing his children watching.

Fuyumi had just enough time to pull Shoto back from an aggravated Endeavor's re-entry. Before the door shut, she saw one last glimpse of Sirius being cradled by his mother as Recovery Girl worked on healing him. The boy was crying now, feeling tired as Recovery Girl's Quirk kicked in.

_I'm sorry, Sirius_, was all she had time to think before the door closed for good. Her expression looked pained, but no one saw it other than Aki, who'd been watching the doorway from the start.

Having been ignoring his protective instincts in favour of analyzing the two Todoroki children, Aki finally turned towards his mother and Recovery Girl. "How is he?" The oldest asked in a quiet murmur.

Meiko didn't respond, silent tears streaking her face.

But Recovery Girl did, jarringly. "Second degree burns… Surprised it happened that fast… At least three weeks rest. And I mean _forced_ rest, you hooligans." She bopped Aki over the head, but continued in a somewhat lighter tone. "I'm glad your mother asked for me as back-up. If I hadn't been here, young Sirius may have ended up with third degree burns and a hospital visit."

"..." Aki hadn't realized his mother had been dead serious when she mentioned calling Recovery Girl. Well, one good move deserved another similarly good response, he supposed. "Thank you then. I was foolish to try and deny mother what she wanted."

Recovery Girl turned to look at him properly. "Aki Blakefield, you're thirteen and in junior high. Why would you ever deny your mother something? She is more experienced than you'll ever be. You're not getting full of yourself, are you?"

Aki frantically waved his hands. "No, ma'am! I meant I thought the burns wouldn't happen, even though Endeavor was the opponent." He bowed to show his respect and to ask forgiveness. "I'm sorry."

"As long as that was all it was and nothing more." Recovery Girl answered, apparently satisfied with the boy's response.

Finally, Meiko had the strength to talk again. "Come on, boys. We're going home. Sirius needs to sleep off the pain and shock."

With that said, they waved farewell to Recovery Girl and made the journey back to their own home. Once inside, Meiko lay her youngest in his bed and promised to check on his bandages regularly.

"I hope something like that doesn't happen again..." Meiko spoke to herself as she lingered in front of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. "I don't think I could cope with another shock like that."

Romulus had finished his work by now and stepped up behind his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sirius is tough. He'll make it through this, I know he will." The dog-headed man was concerned for his youngest, but didn't show it as openly as his wife did. He was sure Sirius would be absolutely fine once his hands completely healed.

"I hope you're right."

In the three weeks that followed, Sirius became very antsy as he wanted to step foot out of the house. His mother prevented him from doing so on Recovery Girl's orders; the elderly healer wanted to make sure there was no chance of infection from the burns.

"Oh man..." Sirius wiggled in his bed as his injuries healed slowly day by day. He couldn't believe that he'd survived second degree burns. His parents kept telling him how lucky he was to have only gotten temporary limited mobility in his wrists, but he didn't feel lucky right now. All he wanted to do was get outside and play with something.

Romulus and Meiko allowed their youngest to email the Todoroki children thanks to Fuyumi sending him an email, to ask how he was. They did put a time limit on him, mainly so Endeavor didn't find out. Fuyumi explained they'd kept away because of their guilt and self-preservation instincts kicking in.

"_I'm sorry I got you involved in that_." Sirius began, before Fuyumi could stop him. And genuinely sorry he was, as he realized later on after he woke up that Shoto, at the very least, would've coped it bad from Endeavor. "_I never should have..._"

"_Sirius, it's okay. It's done_." Fuyumi answered back, typing as quietly as she could. Endeavor was somewhere in the house at the moment. Shoto leaned beside her, exhausted from training. The older sibling looked at her younger brother and cleared the hair away from his face with a gentle movement. Shoto never once stirred.

"_Anyway, I'll go now. Mum's saying I've talked long enough. See you guys another time maybe_." Sirius commented, still feeling bad that Shoto had gotten hurt because of him. At Fuyumi's goodbye, he logged off and turned to his parents.

"Mum, Dad, I didn't mean for Shoto to get hurt."


	6. Chapter 6

_Warning for character death_.

* * *

Meiko's gaze softened at her son's words. "Oh, honey. We know you didn't mean for Shoto to get hurt. It was just what happened at the time. While it was poor planning on your part, I have a feeling when you meet Shoto again, he won't remember it at all."

"Won't… remember?" Sirius looked shocked, eyes widening. "Why not? Does he really hate me?"

His parents hugged him tightly, doing their best to comfort him. "Sirius, it's not that." Romulus began to explain. He knew that the other boy would suppress his memories, due to the trauma.

"Trauma affects people in different ways. But, the most common thing people do who've suffered a traumatic experience is to block bad memories away. So, in addition to not remembering the start of your friendship with him, Shoto won't remember you, either." Meiko clarified in a more detailed way.

Sirius nodded. The dog boy understood a bit better now. He realized that when he met Shoto again, whenever that would be, he would have to start again with his friend. One step at a time. His lip curled a little. This was all Endeavor's fault. The hero had to pay somehow.

* * *

Elsewhere, a girl the same age as Sirius and Hitomi was scrounging through food scraps in an alleyway. She had the physical attributes of a feline. Her name was Katherine Thomas and she was trying her hardest to look after both herself and her sisters after being abandoned by family.

_What good __is a__ family?_ She thought to herself. Adults were worthless. Heroes were worthless. No adult had done anything good in Katherine's eyes. She and her sisters starved almost every night because no one was generous enough to give them enough food to keep them full.

This was cruelty.

Finding only enough for her two sisters, Katherine sighed as she realized she would be going without tonight. At this point, however, she cared little for herself and more about her younger sisters. She would not have them starving if she could help it.

Kitty was always trying so hard.

Making her way back to her sisters in the alleyway the street over, Katherine 'Kitty' Thomas couldn't wait to tell them they could feed tonight. The cat Quirk user couldn't wait to see their delighted faces. The young girl entered the alleyway where her sisters were hiding, but stopped, her ears twitching.

Something was wrong. Where were their voices, their giggles? Swallowing back rising dread, Kitty's voice broke as she called for them. "Beatrice, Becky!"

Absolute silence. Not a peep.

"No, no… Please..." Kitty dropped the food and hurried to where she had left them.

Motionless.

Still as death and covered in blood. Their mouths had been gagged, which explained why she hadn't heard them scream for help. Katherine stared for an unknown amount of time. Eventually, the shock and grief gave way to anger, burning anger that her only kin had been taken from her.

"Whoever did this..." Kitty flicked her fingers and her claws came out, her voice broken but loud. "Is going to pay." She scraped her claws across a dumpster that was right beside her, the sound no doubt making people in the surrounding buildings jump a little and wince from it.

No one crossed Katherine Thomas and got away to tell the tale. If she had to become a villain to kill her sisters' murderer, then so be it. The young girl focused on the new task at hand and exhaled deeply to try and calm herself.

She wouldn't stay angry.

Kitty leaned down to take in a breath of the murderer's scent. She got a whiff of something foreign to her. It smelt like badger, but it was a badger scent she hadn't smelled before. Mixed in with it was the familiar scent of a human girl.

Her eyes narrowed.

A Japanese girl at that. Who was this human trying to fool? A flicker of fury crossed her face, but she schooled herself to look deadpan again while she sorted through the facts. She didn't know any native-speaking Quirk users, did she?

Not that she was aware of, unless… _Maybe_.

Katherine didn't know her personally, but she believed she knew who the culprit was. She often saw her working in the nearby cafe as a maid, with an explicit comment on her t-shirt before she switched to her maid's outfit.

_Could it be her?_ Kitty wondered if she could investigate. It might be worth a shot, she deduced. But for now, she would give her sisters the burial they deserved. Taking the gags away from their mouths, she used two fingers to close their terrified, blank eyes. Her emotions threatened to overwhelm her at this point, but she wouldn't break.


	7. Chapter 7

The stoic Tokoyami Fumikage was walking home from school one day when he saw a girl with black hair. She was the same age as him at first glance and her Quirk appeared to have something to do with her ears.

"Hello." He greeted. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, smiling. "I'm alright, name's Jiro Kyoka. I just stopped to enjoy the nature around me." The girl with the ear-related Quirk explained. Kyoka made sure not to look directly in the boy's eyes, as she wasn't sure how he would react.

He watched her pat the log beside her, inviting him to sit. The bird-headed boy stared at the log for a moment; before reluctantly coming around and sitting beside Kyoka. Fumikage hadn't given her his name, yet she was still friendly with him on their very first meeting. He found that odd.

"Do you always sit on this log, relaxing?"

Instead of answering straight away, Kyoka was content to sit in silence, enjoying the sounds of the birds and animals, chirping and chattering. "I do sit here, but not all of the time." She replied to the other child, going on to clarify that this spot was the most peaceful.

Eventually, Fumikage decided that Kyoka must be waiting for his name since she had given hers. He couldn't be further from the truth, but he wasn't to know that. "Since you've introduced yourself, I will do the same. My name is Tokoyami Fumikage. I like the night and its mysteries."

Since Kyoka had just been enjoying the serenity of the clearing, she was surprised when the boy gave his name. She hadn't expected him to tell her his name; she'd only introduced herself because it was polite.

Kyoka blinked for a moment. "Nice to meet you."

There was a short silence, as if the two children were working out what to say next. Kyoka spoke up first. "Which school do you go to?"

"Salty Banks Elementary school." The bird-headed boy answered, motioning with an arm. "I live around here, though. You?"

"I live here, too. As for schools, I also go to Salty Banks Elementary. I've never seen you there, but I'll keep an eye out for you now. I hope we can become friends, Tokoyami Fumikage."

A short, dry laugh burst from the boy's beak-like mouth. "Likewise. You seem rather upbeat."

* * *

A young seven-year-old boy watched in horror as his parents' home went up in flames. The mutant-type Quirk user had managed to scramble out of the burning building in time, but turned back to stare when he realized his parents weren't with him.

His Quirk was called Gecko and his name was Iguchi Shuichi. The bipedal lizard boy desperately cried out for them, hoping they would reply. Their silence and the crackling of flames did nothing to ease his anxiety.

But then, Endeavor and Gang Orca burst out, carrying his parents. A tear or two trickled down his scaly face.

"Mum, Dad!" He cried as he ran over to them, not accepting Endeavor's outstretched arm to keep him away. "Let me see them!" Shuichi insisted, when the pro hero pushed him back gently.

"Kid, Shuichi, was it? They have a few burns from the blaze. We're trying to get them treated, so stay back for now. You can come over when they have the all clear."

Shuichi didn't like the sound of that news, but respectfully kept his distance even though he didn't like it. While he was waiting, he happened to encounter the pro hero prospect, Hawks, and his younger sister, Bashira. Hawks was there to gain more knowledge about hero work, but didn't mind if his sister wandered off to go talk to Shuichi.

"Hawks is the best older brother someone could have!" Bashira declared, smiling about him.

"What's he like? Is he really a hero that young?" Shuichi asked the avian girl who had no arms, but talons for feet. He wondered what type of avians her parents were, but was focused more on learning about her brother right now.

"He's young, but motivated." Bashira stated, her smile never dropping. "He's keen to learn everything there is about hero work. The good and the bad; the ins and outs."

Shuichi let out a gasp of admiration. Hawks sounded like the best! "You've got a great family, by the sound of it. I want to be a hero when I grow up."

"You can be. Just don't go down the path of villainy; apply to U.A. instead. I'm sure they'll accept you if you pass the entrance exam." Bashira explained, in between glancing at her brother and back at Shuichi. "What would your hero name be?"

Shuichi thought for a moment. "Scaly Hero: Reptilian Ranger, I think."


	8. Chapter 8

Six years had passed and the then seven-year-olds were now thirteen. Most of them were in junior high with the intention to be enrolled into U.A. Sirius walked past Shuichi and stopped outside the classroom to talk to the other mutant-type Quirk user.

"Hi, my name's Sirius Blakefield. How are you?"

The lizard boy glanced up and smiled at Sirius. "I'm doing well. I'm Iguchi Shuichi, by the way. I'm just looking for the classroom I'm supposed to be in." He held a piece of paper up to Sirius and the dog boy had a quick look.

"Ah, that'd be this one." He motioned to the classroom they were standing in front of. "How ironic." Sirius chuckled, watching as Shuichi joined in his laughter briefly before both boys settled and walked into the classroom.

The pair sat down and a teacher entered next, who introduced themself as the pair's homeroom teacher for the next three years.

* * *

Later on that afternoon, a young teenage girl with a cat Quirk stood in front of the building for the League of Villains. Katherine Thomas was ashamed for having fallen so low as to associate with criminals, when she had originally strived to be a hero.

"Well, look who it is." The door opened and the man known as Tomura stood before her, creeping her out with the disembodied hands on his face. "I thought you weren't going to come. Raised by heroes, after all. Kids like you tend to want to stay heroes."

"I gave up on wanting to become a hero." It wasn't a complete lie, but she had to make ends meet somehow. "What was the point when there's no one to cheer me on?" Katherine's head hung low and her voice trembled from the sadness she had not managed to bury.

"Cut that out." Tomura insisted, reaching with a hand to lift her chin with one finger. "You're not a child anymore, so grow up. You're a villain so you better pray you don't get caught and follow me."

Katherine swallowed a sniffle, thankful that the man had only used one finger. She silently followed Tomura into a back room where he was rummaging around, looking for something. He soon retrieved a box and handed it to her. "I want you to deliver this to this apartment."

A note came included with the box and Katherine glanced at it. _It's a student's address!_ Katherine glanced between her boss and the note again. What was he planning to do to this student? It certainly sounded like he intended to hurt them in some way or another.

"What are you waiting for?" Tomura asked, leering at her from behind the hands on his face. "Go!"

Katherine stumbled back in surprise at the order, before turning to hightail it out of there. Making it to the door, she almost fell over in her haste to get away from the man. Thoughts whirled through her mind as she ran down the pavement, heading to the student's house.

Almost at the driveway of the residence, Katherine nearly crashed into a rather furry boy coming from the house. Stopping her adrenaline-filled run, the cat Quirk user started profusely apologizing for running into him, to which he stared at her then at the parcel.

"Who's that for?" The boy asked.

He bore a name tag that read Sirius Blakefield, Katherine noticed… which happened to be the same name as the one on the note, too. Her eyes widened and she was forced to make a choice. Should she carry out Tomura's instructions and give this package to the boy? Or should she ignore him?

"I-It's a parcel." The girl stammered, suddenly not wanting to carry out her boss' orders. This boy seemed nice enough at first glance. _What did the League of Villains want with him?_ Katherine couldn't help but ponder.

The boy chuckled. "I can see that." He remarked lightly. "Who's it for?"

Katherine froze at the polite insistence, starting to tremble now. Before she realized it, tears started down her face. This alarmed the boy who hurried to hold her in a comforting manner.

"It's okay. Come on, let's sit down." Wordlessly, he took the parcel from the girl, noticing the note. _The League of Villains? Who are they? And, more importantly, why would this girl work for them? She looks innocent enough_. Sirius shook his head to clear his thoughts and rubbed the girl's arm to help calm her.

"I don't need to know everything, but are you a little in over your head? Do you want to talk about it?" The dog boy asked quietly. Call it a hunch, but he was guessing the girl didn't really want to be doing this kind of stuff.

Nodding silently, the girl spoke. "You're really smart."


	9. Chapter 9

_Warning for terror threat_.

* * *

"Thanks." The dog boy laughed, before he glanced at the package again. "So it says it's for Sirius Blakefield. That's me." Sirius turned to look at the girl with the cat Quirk. "Do I know you?" He asked, looking slightly concerned. "Why are you working for the League?"

Katherine only had a moment to take in a shaky breath, before it all came tumbling out: tears and the admission. "Please listen to me. I am so sorry to have put you and your family in this position..." She started her explanation.

"A villain killed my two younger sisters. I fell on hard times and was soon recruited by the League to run simple jobs for them. Quicker than I realized, those simple jobs twisted into ones that grew bigger with how dangerous they were. Then, Tomura handed me this package earlier today and told me to drop it off at this address." Katherine paused for a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes, her body shuddering from the emotion wracking it.

"I checked the address a few times before I left, or before he threatened me to leave. I ran here as fast as I could and bumped into you. I don't want to do this anymore. Please..." She fell to her knees beside him and gripped his shorts in a desperate plea for help.

Sirius had felt a little uncomfortable hearing her life story, but ultimately sympathized with her as she had been taken advantage of by villains during a low point in her life. He placed a hand on her back to reassure her.

"I'll help you however I can. All Might comes by every now and then, checks on the neighbourhood. If he's here before you go, you can talk to him about your situation and you choosing to reform."

As Sirius raised the package, his keen hearing caught the sound of faint ticking that switched between faint and loud ticks. He stared at the package, his eyes wide with horror as he realized just what this was. _Oh boy, this Tomura guy meant business!_ He tried not to panic and turned to face the house.

"Aki!" He shouted to his brother. "Call All Might quick! We have an emergency!"

Aki gave a sharp whistle in response, which meant he'd heard and acknowledged the instructions.

Sirius then placed the package down and nudged it away with the claws on one foot, as far away as he could manage. "So..." He placed a hand on Katherine's shoulder and guided her away from the box. "He means business alright. Did he tell you what was in the box?" The dog boy was going to guess Katherine hadn't asked her boss, merely followed orders so she didn't get in trouble.

"No? Why, what's in it?" She inquired as she submitted to being pulled away from the dangerous package. The cat Quirk user studied his reaction and felt so ashamed. "Oh my god..." Katherine whispered and covered her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea. It's a… _bomb_, isn't it?"

"It's not your fault. You weren't to know." Sirius glanced briefly at his watch, wondering what was taking All Might so long. "The only thing we can do now is wait for All Might to arrive and get rid of it before it goes off." He planted a paw on his face, starting to stress. "Man, where is he?"

Not a moment later, All Might arrived. "Never fear, for I am here!" He cheered, not realizing the dire situation straight away. Glancing at the two children, he continued. "I was making my routine sweep through the neighbourhood-"

"Yeah, I'm sorry to interrupt All Might, but we have a crisis here." Sirius apologized to the number one hero. "Like _bad_." He emphasized the word and gestured to the package.

The American-themed hero looked between the package and the potential U.A. student. He picked it up and was about to ask how bad, when he saw the dog boy mouth the word 'bomb' and he stilled his body.

"Hmm. Very well. I shall deal with it immediately. Thank you for alerting me." All Might then turned and gave a wide smile to the girl. "I will see what I can do about getting you a second chance. Good luck."

And with that, the number one hero shot into the air, with the package tight in his grasp.

Both children breathed a huge sigh of relief and looked at each other, amazement in their eyes at how fast All Might had been. But as the adrenaline started to fade nearly an hour later, Katherine couldn't help but wonder: how had All Might known of her situation? Had his police friend told him?


	10. Chapter 10

Another year had passed and the children in Sirius' age group were now fourteen. Sirius and Hitomi had admitted their feelings for each other, but wouldn't go on dates just yet. Sirius was walking Hitomi home one day after school, when the pair saw Shoto.

Sirius stopped, wondering if the younger boy would remember him from all those years ago. The dog boy decided to test his theory. From where he stood with Hitomi, he called out to the other.

"Hey Shoto." The boy with dual coloured hair looked over at him, his expression blank. Sirius flicked an ear, self-conscious.

The Todoroki boy didn't look like he was going to answer, until Fuyumi, who was beside him, seemed to recognize the canine figure.

"Sirius? Wow, it's been ages. How are you?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on her younger brother's shoulder. "It's okay, Shoto. This is Sirius. He befriended you when you were younger."

Shoto just looked at her, his expression not changing. But it was clear to Sirius the younger boy didn't remember him. As emotion started to overcome him, Sirius swallowed, feeling how dry his throat was. Despite the fact he'd had a drink of water earlier.

"I don't remember, Fuyumi. What happened when I was younger?" Shoto answered, deadpan, and the older girl took this in her stride. She had expected this to happen. Fuyumi was just about to answer Shoto when Sirius excused himself.

"No. It's okay. I think it's better he didn't remember just yet. He might think badly of me for what I did." The dog boy explained as he started to turn away.

"Sirius, wait! Please." Fuyumi went over to her acquaintance and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Shoto's in a bad place." She admitted in a whisper. "He needs help."

Sirius glanced at the elder Todoroki, before he looked to Shoto again. There was despair and disappointment in the dog boy's eyes; not at the younger boy, but at himself. His parents had warned him back then that Shoto would likely not remember him due to the trauma and buried memories.

But he hadn't expected it to be true. Damn it, he should have listened to them. Sirius hit the palm of his hand to his face, hard. This would be his wake up call. The Shoto he had known was gone, buried under an increasingly stoic and rebellious mind.

"How can I help him? When I caused this?" Sirius asked, looking down and away from the older girl. He was ashamed of himself for hurting his friend like this, to the point where he couldn't remember their friendship. He was disgraceful. Why would Shoto want to be his friend?

"Sirius… Please understand it wasn't your fault. I think it would've happened regardless of who set it up." Fuyumi rubbed her hand along the dog boy's shoulder, trying to reassure him. She needed Sirius to understand and help her brother. "Please help Shoto if you can-"

"Fuyumi-"

"He needs friendship." She held the side of his head and gestured with her other hand at the boy staring at both of them. "But more than friendship, he needs to interact with you again."

Sirius sighed. He figured this was a desperate cry for help on Fuyumi's part and who was he to turn her down? "Okay. I'll help you. I'll do my best with Shoto, but there's also the chance he doesn't want anything more to do with me."

Fuyumi mouthed a 'thank you' to Sirius and turned to start walking back to her brother. "Oh, don't say that. I wouldn't."

"Hang on." Hitomi interrupted, before the Todoroki siblings could leave. "Just who are you?" She glanced between Sirius and Fuyumi, wondering how they knew each other. "Sirius, mind explaining what's going on here?"

Sirius jumped at Hitomi's voice and remembered his crush's Quirk, as he grimaced. Just this once, though…

"Hitomi, these are the Todoroki siblings: Fuyumi and Shoto. I met them a few days after you rescued me. Fuyumi, this is Hitomi. She was being bullied and I ran to save her, but she ended up saving me." He had a nervous smile on his face.

Both girls stared.

But it turned out there was nothing to worry about from Hitomi's side. Sirius was fortunate his girlfriend hadn't activated her Quirk on him in that instance, but figured he might not be so lucky next time. That was the price he'd pay for not telling her about his friends.

After Fuyumi and Shoto walked home, Hitomi turned to Sirius. "Thank you for introducing me to your friends. I liked meeting them, though I am worried about Shoto. Do you think he will remember you?"

There it was. A yes or no answer. Sirius nodded, slipping. "Yes, I hope so."


	11. Chapter 11

Over the next year that followed, Sirius had Hitomi bait him multiple times with her Quirk and he had to figure out ways to get out of its control. It took him a while, but he found a way to break her control.

It was through sudden pain.

He smiled to himself at that, though he pitied anyone else who fell under its power. They wouldn't have all the time they needed to figure it out like he had. It would have to be almost instant for them.

He didn't worry about that again, as the teacher had just arrived.

"Now class. As you know, it's time to decide on what you want to do for the next phase of your schooling." The woman stood behind her desk, holding the papers she had collected earlier. "I assume most of you want to go to U.A.?"

She was hardly surprised when most of her students chorused a loud "Yes!", their eyes bright. Her eyes roamed over the children and landed on the boy with the Gecko Quirk. What was his name again? The woman sighed when she recalled his name: Iguchi Shuichi.

His parents had since died in a car accident a couple of years after the blaze that took their house. They hadn't wanted to rebuild, so had boarded with All Might after the hero offered to let them stay.

Shuichi, of course, had been devastated at his parents' deaths. He openly mourned them for days, until All Might stepped in and had a quiet word with the nine-year-old. He had expected grief-fuelled yelling, but there was nothing. Shuichi had accepted that his parents were gone and accepted that he needed to move on as well.

His parents would not have wanted him to continue grieving for them, Toshinori suspected.

"Iguchi Shuichi, did you still want to become a hero?" The teacher asked. In her heart, she figured the lizard boy would still say yes, but she wanted to hear it from him herself.

The boy in question looked up at his teacher when she called his name and his eyes widened upon hearing the comment. Was she kidding? It was because he encountered Hawks and talked with his younger sister that he wanted to become a hero. "Absolutely. I wouldn't dream of giving up my desire to be a hero!"

She smiled. There was the Shuichi she knew. Wonderful.

Well then… The teacher clapped her hands to get her students' attention on her and then spoke. "I'm proud of you all. Especially those who are aiming for U.A. May you succeed in what you want to do and may we all hear of your successes later in the year at the sports festival."

This immediately got the attention of the sports fanatics in the room.

Whispers started about the event.

"Sports festival?" One asked. "Oooh..."

"Sounds interesting." Another commented. "Wonder what kind of trials we'll have to pass in there."

While his classmates whispered and wondered, Sirius gave Shuichi a nudge since he sat beside the reptilian child. "It does sound interesting, but I bet the trials will be tough. No school as good as U.A. would let their students in without putting a great deal of effort into the festival." The dog boy was curious.

Shuichi nodded and replied under his breath. "Should I say I'll see you at the entrance exam then?" He chuckled, daring his classmate by wiggling his eyebrows.

Sirius snorted, amused. "You're on, buddy. You are so done." He paused, remembering something. "Just be careful you don't get matched against Hitomi. She'll trap you."

"Trap me how?" Shuichi asked, cutting the wiggling of his eyebrows out as he heard his friend's comment. He was confused by the statement, so he glanced at the purple-haired girl who looked like she could sleep more, if he was being completely honest.

"You'll see soon enough. Trust me."

Any further conversation between her class was halted when the teacher announced that they could leave the room since school had finished. Excited, the children grabbed their backpacks and their voices rose to a cheery murmur.

School had finished for the year. They were free now. Free to go home.

Outside, the conversation started again, but took a slightly different turn. "What kind of hero did you want to be, Sirius?" One of his classmates asked him as he and Shuichi walked with a few other boys.

The dog boy tilted his head as he thought. "I think I'd be more suited as a rescue hero, personally. But I'm not really sure. What about you?"

The boy who had asked Sirius responded with a very eager "A member of the K9 squad. I have a super keen sense of smell, which could help the dogs if they lose the trail."


End file.
